


The Perch

by AvengersCompound (emilyevanston)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Bad Puns, Blood, Flirting, Injury, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mission Fic, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-25 23:18:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20732354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound
Summary: During a mission, Sam and Clint are sent to the same spot for surveillance.  Normally Sam quite enjoys the teasing of his teammates, but Clint’s constant chatter quickly starts to get on his nerves.  As time passes, it becomes clear, when Clint’s annoying you, there might be something else going on.A/N:Art byKishockHereThank you to @fanficwriter013, @lillianfromaccounting and @mumbles411 for betaing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kishock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kishock/gifts).

“The two birds, sitting in the perch, watching the others do all the work,” Clint said in a sing-song voice as he crouched on the corner of the building. He scanned between the four other groups. Bucky and Rhodey sat a few buildings down in a similar position. Tony and Nat were walking arm in arm towards the target, while Thor and Steve ‘subtly’ blended in at a coffee shop a few doors down.

“You’re a little too excited about this, Clint,” Sam teased. He’d been focusing on the crowd. The visor had been quickly cataloging every person and cross-referencing between known criminals.

“Well, I don’t get to perch with my bird bro nearly enough,” he said. “Perch? Is perch the word I want? Maybe ‘nest’ would be better.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Let’s stick with perch shall we?”

“We can nest later… eh?” Clint said, the innuendo coated on heavily to his words. Sam was pretty sure if he was sitting closer, Clint would have nudged him.

Sam was used to Clint’s flirting. The guy flirted with everyone. It seemed to be second nature to him. Like breathing. Or loosing an arrow. He flirted with Nat like it was the only language the two of them knew. He flirted with Tony to get him to come fix his stuff. He flirted with Bruce to make him blush. He even flirted with the girls at the Starbucks on the ground floor of the Tower to get free refills on his coffee.

Sam got it. He really did. He liked flirting himself. He was maybe a little more discerning about whom he targeted. But only a little. He just wished that Clint realized there was a time and place. Or at least for him to occasionally mean it.

“I’m not sure falcons and hawks are biologically compatible, Clint,” Sam said. Tony and Natasha had reached the target and now the comms were noisy with the chatter of small talk as they eased them into a false sense of security.

“Neither are hawks and spiders but I still hit that. Hey-yo!” Clint joked, holding up his hand for a high-five. Sam didn’t look at him as he cocked his eyebrow questioningly. As the realization of what Clint just said dawned on the archer he dropped his hand again. “Don’t tell Nat I just said that.”

Sam chuckled. “We’ll see,” he said. “I might save it, just in case.”

“Sam…” Clint whined, before sitting up straight and leaning forward a little. For a moment, Sam thought he was going ass over head off the side of the building. “Northeast corner. See the guy with the bag?”

Sam switched his focus and tapped the button on the side of his visor. “Oh yeah, definite HYDRA,” Sam said. “You got eyes on him, Cap?”

“Yeah, I see him. We’ll keep watch. Just stay alert,” Steve responded.

“We two can sure do that,” Clint said. “Get it, Sam? Toucan?”

Sam stifled a laugh. “You’re an idiot.”

“I like to think of it as charming,” Clint replied.

Sam’s eyes flicked to the archer. He was smiling and for just a brief second, Sam wondered if the flirting was genuine. Clint was cute if not a complete disaster of a human being. He was fun to be around even if he didn’t seem to take things seriously. Plus those arms. Sam couldn’t pretend it wouldn’t be nice to have those arms wrapped around him. To dig his fingers into those biceps.

He pushed it away. For starters, this was pretty far from the appropriate time and place to be considering doing - well anything - with Clint Barton. Besides, it was just him. Sam wasn’t even 100% sure Clint was into guys. He’d only ever seen him with women.

Sam flicked his eyes back to the street. Tony and Natasha had moved inside and the HYDRA goon on the corner had moved into a shadowed alcove. Clint pulled an arrow out of his quiver and notched it. Sam gazed over the street, the targeting system cataloging every person. Nothing stood out as being out of the ordinary apart of HYDRA on the corner though.

“Did you choose a bird-of-prey as your call sign for the same reason as me, Sam?” Clint asked, without looking over.

Sam knew it was going to be a mistake to engage. He knew it was going to make him groan and roll his eyes. He knew it. But still, he couldn’t stop himself. He needed the punchline. He needed to hear the cringe-worthy piece of filth that Clint had most likely been sitting on for a while now. “I got my callsign because the wings were called the Falcon. I had nothing to do with it. But go on, tell me why you chose a bird-of-prey.”

Clint smirked. “Because I like being on my knees.”

How Sam managed to not crack and burst out laughing then he couldn’t quite say. He wanted to laugh. Maybe if he wasn’t in full work mode he might have. Or maybe it was just that he knew exactly what to say to top it. “Maybe we should just call you the swallow?” He deadpanned.

Clint completely lost it laughing. “That was a good one.”

“Alright, alright. Calm down, bird brain. I know I’m hilarious.” Sam said.

“Yeah, Sam. You quack me up.” Clint teased.

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head a little. “Come on now, focus up.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Clint said. “I don’t like that goon. What’s he even doing there?” 

Sam turned his sights back to the HYDRA agent. “Yeah, me either. Tony and Nat are still chattering though. So I guess we better sit tight until someone says otherwise.”

“Or I could just -” He mimed loosing an arrow.

Sam seriously considered it for a moment. If nothing else, it would force everyone’s hand. But reason got the better of him. “Better not. Gonna have to sit tight a little longer.”

“Aww, you say that like it’s a bad thing. I like being up here with you,” Clint said.

Sam looked at Clint in his peripheral. Logic told him this was just part of Clint’s little routine. That he was hamming it up so that things wouldn’t get too serious. Because if things got too serious this was real and their lives were in danger. Only, he was sure he heard sincerity in his voice. Or maybe… maybe he hoped that was what he was hearing.

He pushed that thought aside quickly. He didn’t have time for a crush on Clint Barton. His flirting wasn’t even that smooth. He wasn’t going to get taken in by the harmless dumbass routine Clint so strongly clung to. Clint was anything but harmless.

“Hey, Clint? When you…” He stopped. He didn’t want to get into this. Not here. Here was a terrible place to try and figure out if the smattering of innuendo and annoying puns were just Clint being Clint or if there was more to that.

Besides…

Sam wasn’t sure if he had it in him again if he was going to be totally honest with himself. He’d done the whole date the guy you served with. When he’d watched Riley fall, it had felt like Sam had had his heart ripped out and dragged down with him. It had taken him a long time to get over that. He still wasn’t totally sure he was. There were still nights he woke up with his heart racing, feeling helpless and broken because he’d been revisiting it in his dreams. And the Avengers was like the Air Force on crack. The fact they’d lost so few felt like dumb luck more than actual skill. The fact a lot of them were supers definitely saved their lives more than once. And Clint was not a super. He worried that starting anything with anyone on the team would just leave him a nervous wreck. To do that with Clint - the most accident-prone, least super of all of them next to Sam - he might just have another breakdown.

“When I what?” Clint asked, his eyes still fixed on the lurker.

“When you’re up here, do you feel more at peace?” Sam asked, covering the original question with something relatively innocuous.

Clint chewed at his bottom lip. “Yeah. I guess. My head is clearer. I like seeing everything at once like this. I feel like I get the picture better.”

“I feel that way about flying,” Sam said. “But with the added adrenaline rush.”

“Because you’re a fellow bird. We like being up in the sky,” Clint said, matter-of-factly.

“What about Kiwis?” Sam teased.

“They’re only barely a bird. They look more like potatoes,” Clint said. “Besides, I bet they wish they could fly.”

“Well, that does it, if I ever see one, I’ll be taking it for a spin,” Sam joked.

Clint started laughing. “I’d pay to see that.”

Sam looked over at him again. That little niggling question of whether Clint’s flirting actually meant something other than him being his usual self. Sam didn’t like this unsure, shy thing he was doing right now. Normally if he was interested in someone he just said so. He didn’t second guess himself like this. This was not Sam Wilson.

“Clint did you…?” He started, once again cutting himself off. This time he internally cursed himself. If he ever did manage to get this question out, Bucky was now never going to let him live it down. If Clint was just being Clint, Bucky would rag on him for falling for the archer’s normal routine. If Clint did genuinely like him, then Bucky would go on about how Sam had gotten all tongue-tied around him.

“Did I what?” Clint asked.

Sam waved him off. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“Aww, come on now, Sam,” Clint said turning to look at him. “Don’t be like that. You can tell me anything.”

“I was just wondering…” Sam said, but something caught his attention in his peripheral. The HYDRA guy made a strange gesture and looked up. Sam followed his eye line and in the building down the road there was a flash and shell tore through the air in the direction of Clint and Sam.

“Wondering what?” Clint asked, still staring directly at Sam.

“Duck!” Sam shouted jumping up and popping the wings from his suit. There was no way Clint could run from this, but he had the vague notion that if he reacted fast enough he could carry them both to where the shell had originated from.

“That’s a good one!” Clint said, laughing.

“No! Duck!” Sam said, running full force into Clint. Clint stumbled and fell back as Sam shoved him over the edge of the building, knocking his bow out of his hand. For a second Sam knew he had this. He wasn’t worried at all, even with the sudden orders being barked by Steve in his ear and chaos on the ground below. He had a grip on Clint and he was supporting his weight fine.

Then the shell hit. The side of the building blew out, raining fire and stone out into the street. The sudden change in air pressure along with the blast buffeted Sam, making him dip and his grip slip.

“Fuck! Shit, Sam!” Clint shouted, scrambling to keep hold. Sam tried to keep hold of him but with the way Clint squirmed, Sam couldn’t keep hold. His fingers slipped from around Clint’s forearms and the archer fell.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam felt like he was watching in slow motion. It was a terrifying deja vu feeling as he watched Clint slip from his grip and then start falling. Sam tucked his wings in and dived, his hand stretched out as he tried to catch Clint again.

His mind kept flashing back, first to Riley and then to Rhodey. He couldn’t let this happen again. He couldn’t just watch someone he cared about hit the ground like that again.

He plummeted down, stretching out, sure that this was going to be a repeat of Riley all over again. Somehow, he reached Clint. First, their fingers brushed over each other’s and then they each latched onto the other’s wrist. Sam popped his wings and pulled back as hard as he could.

It broke Clint’s fall, but he still hit the ground, glancing off the side of a car before hitting the ground. Clint cried out in pain and rolled onto his side. He was attempting to get up when Sam landed. “Don’t move. There is no way you didn’t break something,” Sam ordered. He pressed the send button on his comms. “Clint’s down, he needs evac,” He said as he started looking Clint over. The side of his uniform hand ripped open and there was a huge gash along Clint’s side. He was bleeding profusely and Sam worried about how deep it was.

“Shit,” Sam cursed as he looked around for something - anything - he could use to stop the bleeding. As he looked around he noticed the car Clint had hit had been partially crushed by a piece of the building that must have bounced off it after impact. From above it wasn’t so obvious but Clint must have hit one of the jagged pieces of metal sticking up from the car. “It’s alright, Clint. It’s gonna be alright.”

Clint pressed his hand to his side and groaned. “I know. I’ve had worse.”

Steve vaulted over some rubble and approached them both. “Evac is coming," he said, grabbing something from his utility belt. “I know that pararescue Sam is gonna want to stay here, but I really need you up there with Wanda getting the guy with the rocket launcher.”

Sam looked up to see Wanda floating up on a cloud of pink light. He wasn’t actually sure her powers would carry her that far off the ground or not. He looked back at Clint again and nodded taking flight and caught Wanda by the shoulders, trying not to let his concern for Clint distract him too much.

* * *

The fight had been chaos. Any plans the Avengers had to keep things peaceful had gone right out the window. HYDRA had been ready for them. It had been a firestorm right up the center of the city.

The Avengers had won though. They usually did when they stuck together. Especially against low-level HYDRA operatives, even if they did predict that they’d have people on the roof.

Not that the government wasn’t still pissed at the Avengers. It didn’t matter that they’d cleared the area before anything had happened. They seemed to think HYDRA could just do whatever they wanted if it meant no property damage.

Sam didn’t really care about any of that. He was going to continue fighting for what he thought was right. Besides, it was the same old shit over and over anyway. They’d get pissed because of the damage caused by the other side, tell them they were going to do something to control the Avengers. Some big bad would come and threaten everything and they’d beg them to intervene.

Besides, Sam was a little more concerned about Clint. He’d been evacuated quickly and Sam hadn’t seen him since. He’d had to go to medbay for his own minor injuries and then got stuck in a debrief for three god damned hours.

By the time he was finally out he was exhausted and he wanted to take a long hot shower and then sleep.

More than that though, he wanted to check that Clint was okay and maybe get to the bottom of this whole flirting thing.

“Hey, Nat!” He called as he headed down the hall after the whole team had filed out of the conference room.

She turned and put her hand on her hip, cocking her eyebrow as she looked at him. “What’s up, Wilson?”

“While I was up on the roof Clint was flirting,” Sam said, already knowing what Natasha would say. ‘Well, duh, Sam. It’s Clint. He does that.’

Natasha smirked at him and he prepared himself to be teased. “Oh yeah, he’s totally into you. Why? You like him back?”

Sam blinked at her. “Wait, what?”

“Oh yeah. He’s always talking about you. Whether I thought you might be into guys. If you’d be into him if you were,” Natasha explained.

“Wow, okay,” Sam said. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “Alright.”

“You gonna ask him out, Sam?” Natasha teased. “Got your eyes on the little Hawk?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I might,” Sam said with a nod.

“Well, a little advice,” she said. “He’s a disaster. He’s gonna overthink it. He’s worth it though.”

“So you’re saying I should ride his ass?” Sam joked.

Natasha snorted. “Something like that,” she said stepping forward, so she was face to face with him. She tapped on his chest as she looked up into his eyes, and despite the considerable weight advantage Sam had, he was actually a little scared. “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you. Just so you know.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else, Widow.”

“Good. Then have at it. He’ll be excited to see you,” Natasha said and headed off down the hall.

Sam watched her for a moment before turning and heading to the medbay again. He knew Clint had to be in there somewhere.

In the end, he'd only had to ask two of the on-staff medics to actually find him. He was lying back in bed, sipping on a Capri Sun. He had his usual collection of bumps and bruises. His left eye was partially blackened and it looked like he had collected a fresh set of stitches on his forehead.

He practically lit up when he saw Sam. His eyes sparkled and he grinned broadly. “Hey, Sam! I wasn’t sure if you’d come to see me.”

“Just needed to make sure I didn’t spike you into the pavement in any permanent way,” Sam joked. “How’s your side?”

“Fine,” Clint said. He pushed the covers down on the bed and lifted the hospital gown to show clean and unmarked skin. “They put me in the cradle again. I swear I’ll be 80% plastic by the time I retire.”

Sam approached him and ran his fingers over the spot where Clint had been hurt. “It’s not plastic, Clint. You know that.”

“Tell that to Vision,” Clint joked as he watched Sam’s hand on his side. He seemed to tremble under Sam’s touch.

“Clint?” Sam said. Clint raised his eyes to meet Sam’s and Sam pressed his palm to the spot the gash had run earlier. Clint took a shuddering breath in and seemed to lean forward a little. “You want to nest now?”

Clint nodded and moved over a little and Sam slipped off his shoes and climbed into the small hospital bed with him. Sam wasn’t sure Clint’s smile could get any wider as he nuzzled into Sam. Sam hooked his arm around Clint’s shoulders and let the man cuddle in tight against him. “There we are,” Sam said, looking down into his eyes. “Two little love birds.”

“Sam? I didn’t think…” Clint started.

“That’s okay. I thought enough for both of us,” Sam teased.

Clint laughed and leaned up, kissing the corner of Sam’s jaw. It was slow and gentle and Sam turned his head, capturing the archer’s lips.

He kissed him tenderly, holding him close, before pulling back slowly. Clint’s teeth grazed over Sam’s bottom lip and tugged on it as he pulled back.

Clint ran his fingers down Sam’s neck and nipped at his jaw. Sam chuckled and carded his fingers through Clint’s hair. “You gotta let people know that you’re actually interested in them, dummy.”

Clint chuckled. “That’s what Nat says too. But it’s easier to deal with the rejection if you can just pretend they thought you were just being a flirt.” He placed a kiss on the pulse point on Sam’s throat and his hand slid down from his neck to his chest. “You worked it out though.”

“Yeah, you got lucky,” Sam teased.

“Mmm… not yet. But I’m working on it.” Clint hummed and sucked on that same sensitive spot. It made Sam’s skin tingle and his scalp prickle.

“Jesus, Clint,” Sam said, as Clint’s hand traveled up under his t-shirt. “You were nearly killed today.”

“Only nearly,” Clint murmured against Sam’s skin. He looked up at him and smirked. “Besides. You know what they say about birds of a feather?”

“I think that saying is about flocking,” Sam said. “Not fucking.”

Clint snorted. “Well then, let me show you a little thing some bees told me about.”

Sam completely lost it laughing. “Oh my god, Clint. What the hell am I going to do with you?”

Clint’s hand slipped down and teased over Sam’s dick. It twitched in his pants and sent a small shiver up Sam’s spine. “Just whatever you damn well want,” Clint whispered.

Sam kissed him deeply, and Clint returned it with a needy hunger. He started to palm Sam’s cock and Sam groaned into the kiss. He pulled back a little breathless. “Okay, okay. We can do this, but you gotta calm down.”

He climbed out of the bed and went to the medical supplies and started looking through them. Clint sat up and watched him. “Whatcha doin’, Sammy?”

“You lie down, I’ll be back in a second.”

Clint lay the bed back and lay down. Sam found the lube he was looking for and went and locked the medbay door before getting back into bed and spooning Clint.

Clint leaned back and captured Sam’s lips, kissing him slowly as he ran his fingers over Sam’s scalp and gripped his neck. Sam hummed softly and ran his hand down Clint’s stomach and up under his hospital gown, teasing his fingers over Clint’s cock. It twitched and began to harden under Sam’s touch. Sam’s tongue flicked out, coaxing Clint’s lips apart. Clint’s came out to meet it, and they pressed together before circling each other.

Both men let out a low moan. Sam rolled his hips, grinding his hardening cock against Clint’s bare ass. His fingers wrapped around Clint’s shaft and he slowly began to pump it.

“Fuck,” Clint gasped, pushing back against Sam, needily. “God, I’ve wanted this for so long.”

Sam smiled and kissed Clint’s throat, sucking on his skin hard enough to mark him. He grabbed the lube and squeezed it in his hand, rolling his fingers over the sticky, viscous liquid to warm it before rubbing it into Clint’s asshole. Clint mewled and leaned back, nipping at the shell of Sam’s ear. He reached behind him and palmed Sam’s cock through his pants before fumbling to open his pants. Clint’s ring muscle gave under Sam’s attention, as he used first one finger, and then two to coax him open.

“Sam,” Clint gasped. “Feels so good. Need you.”

“I know. It’s coming,” Sam soothed. He pulled his cock free and coated it with lube, before lining it up against Clint’s ass. Clint pushed back against him, so the head sunk into his tight hole. “Fuck,” Sam grunted, pushing in that little bit more.

He ran his hand up Clint’s throat and pulled him into a kiss again. As the two men kissed deeply and passionately, Sam began to roll his hips. He fucked Clint slowly and deeply. There was no rush to it. He had no desire to hurt Clint more than he had been today. They were making love.

Their moans became louder as they moved together. Sam began to feel soft, and slightly fuzzy as the pressure of his oncoming orgasm built in him. He began to stroke Clint’s cock as he thrust deep into him. Clint mewled against Sam’s lips and jerked against him. “Sam!” He gasped, breaking their kiss for the first time. “Gonna come.”

Sam nipped at Clint’s earlobe and nuzzled into his neck. “I’m right with you,” he breathed.

Clint groaned loudly and with a grunt, he came hot ribbons over his stomach and Sam’s hand. His ass clenched and squeezed Sam’s cock, milking it and sending a jolt up Sam’s spine. His balls tightened and with a deep thrust, he released, filling Clint.

The two men lay pressed together, panting for a moment, before Clint leaned back and kissed Sam deeply and Sam slipped from within him. Clint grabbed some wipes from a dispenser near him and carefully began to clean them both up.

“Preening me, Clint?” Sam teased.

Clint chuckled and kissed Sam’s jaw, before curling in against him. “We are gonna have a lot of fun, Sam.”

“Alright, but you gotta get cleared first. How about we take a nap and we’ll see if they’ll release you when we wake up,” Sam said.

Clint hummed and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long before he was snoring lightly in Sam’s arms. As Sam’s exhaustion started to take him too, he couldn’t help but think how nice it was to be part of Clint’s flock.


End file.
